More than 3.9 million Victorians, or over 65 per cent of the population, play sport, or are engaged in active recreation. Victorians participate in almost 775 million hours of exercise, recreation and sporting activities each year. Importantly, 80 per cent of this time is classified as active recreation.

However, not everyone has the same opportunity to be involved in sport and recreation. Currently, 3.2 million Victorians are not meeting the recommended levels of weekly physical activity and are therefore not benefiting from the positive health, wellbeing and social outcomes participation delivers.

Our work

We’re removing the barriers to participation in sport. Our initiatives are creating more participation opportunities for all Victorians, including building a more sustainable and inclusive sport and recreation sector.

Through Change Our Game and the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, we are driving the change needed to achieve equal representation, participation and support for Victorian woman and girls across the sport and recreation sector.

We’re developing inclusive sport and recreation opportunities to ensure all Victorians feel they can participate, regardless of age, ability, cultural background and gender. We are particularly focused on ensuring that more Aboriginal Victorians can get involved in grassroots sport.

We are also helping to transform local sporting facilities, with investments that will help people in regional, rural and metropolitan Melbourne to keep active and healthy. This includes developing stadiums, grounds and arenas throughout Victoria to provide the best facilities for each sport.

We work with our stakeholders to support Victoria’s strong and professional sport and recreation sector. This includes more than 100 state sports associations, a third of Australia’s national sport organisations and more than 16,000 clubs – all supported by a highly developed governance and administrative structure.

Sport and recreation facts

Physical inactivity contributes to an estimated 14,000 deaths a year

Since 2014, the State Government has invested $1.33 billion into sport and recreation across Victoria

The 2018-19 Victorian budget provides $484.4 million to guarantee the future of community sport across the state

The 2018-19 funding includes $145 million to improve facilities and access for women and girls

More than 3.9 million Victorians, or over 65 per cent of the population, play sport, or are engaged in active recreation. Victorians participate in almost 775 million hours of exercise, recreation and sporting activities each year. Importantly, 80 per cent of this time is classified as active recreation.

However, not everyone has the same opportunity to be involved in sport and recreation. Currently, 3.2 million Victorians are not meeting the recommended levels of weekly physical activity and are therefore not benefiting from the positive health, wellbeing and social outcomes participation delivers.

Our work

We’re removing the barriers to participation in sport. Our initiatives are creating more participation opportunities for all Victorians, including building a more sustainable and inclusive sport and recreation sector.

Through Change Our Game and the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, we are driving the change needed to achieve equal representation, participation and support for Victorian woman and girls across the sport and recreation sector.

We’re developing inclusive sport and recreation opportunities to ensure all Victorians feel they can participate, regardless of age, ability, cultural background and gender. We are particularly focused on ensuring that more Aboriginal Victorians can get involved in grassroots sport.

We are also helping to transform local sporting facilities, with investments that will help people in regional, rural and metropolitan Melbourne to keep active and healthy. This includes developing stadiums, grounds and arenas throughout Victoria to provide the best facilities for each sport.

We work with our stakeholders to support Victoria’s strong and professional sport and recreation sector. This includes more than 100 state sports associations, a third of Australia’s national sport organisations and more than 16,000 clubs – all supported by a highly developed governance and administrative structure.

Actions and outcomes

Action: The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation was created with a budget $7.2 million to support Change Our Game. This includes initiatives such as a scholarships program, a champions program, a workforce development program and a community activation grants program.

These initiatives are accompanied by work with the sector to ensure all organisations funded by the Supporting Victorian Sport and Recreation program have at least 40 per cent of women in leadership positions or as board members by July 2019.

Outcomes: Change Our Game works together with other Sport and Recreation Victoria programs that drive equality in sport and recreation for women and girls, such as the Female-Friendly Facilities Fund. This fund has already helped more than 200 clubs transform their ageing facilities to get more women and girls involved and active.

Community facility funding

This funding encourages investment by local councils, clubs and codes and includes the Community Sports Infrastructure Fund, Female Friendly Facilities Fund, the World Game Facilities Fund, Better Indoor Stadiums Fund and Country Football and Netball Program.

Outcomes:

Community Sports Infrastructure Fund: An additional $60 million budget to expand the now $180 million Community Sports Infrastructure Fund to help with planning, building new, and improving existing community sport and recreation facilities.

Female Friendly Facilities Fund: An additional $15 million to expand to $29 million for the Female Friendly Facilities Fund provides funding. This assists local clubs and organisations to develop grounds, pavilions, courts and lighting to enable more women and girls to participate in sport and active recreation.

World Game Facilities Fund: This fund assists local football (soccer) clubs and organisations to upgrade existing or develop new facilities across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Country Football and Netball Program: This program provides funding to assist country football and netball clubs, associations and umpiring organisations to develop facilities in rural, regional and outer metropolitan locations.

Inner City Netball Program: The $9.6 million Inner City Netball Program is building 64 competition compliant netball courts in inner-Melbourne. All locations have been identified.

Significant Sporting Events Program

This is a grants program established to attract and retain sporting events to Victoria. These are events that are of national or international in focus, or have regional significance and are recognised by a relevant sporting body.

Outcome: A further $17.7 million investment into the program will secure over 300 national and international sporting events for Victoria over the next four years. This brings the total investment into the program to $20.7 million. More than 400 events have been funded since the introduction of the program.

Supporting Victorian Sport and Recreation Program

This program supports initiatives that build the capacity of sport and recreation organisations and create more opportunities for Victorians to participate in sport and recreation, as follows:

Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Program

Access for All Abilities

Local Coaches for Local Clubs

Regional Sport and Recreation Program

Sport and Recreation Development Program

Victorians More Active

Volunteer Innovation Program

Welcoming and Inclusive Clubs

Women in Sport and Recreation.

Outcome: The program currently funds 97 sport and recreation organisations to improve the ability of the Victorian community sport and recreation sector to provide value for its players, volunteers, coaches and officials.

The program also assists the Victorian community sport and recreation sector to become more inclusive of all Victorians, including women, Aboriginals and Victorians with a disability.